WOYWW....

As you can see I'm not very organised this week.  I am still coughing and spluttering and have to say it has certainly been one hell of a bug we have had here.  

I have been too poorly to visit my dear friend in her care home and still have her Christmas cards and gifts waiting for her on the table.  [Please forgive me B but I'm doing all I can to get better] I'm pretty certain she would rather wait than have the germs that would have come with them for Christmas.  I have called the home several times over the last week and she had been enjoying all the festive entertainment the home had organised.  She will certainly have had more enjoyment this year than any other year I have known her.  She always insisted on spending the time alone and, in the 21 years we have lived next door, has only once taken me up on my offer of joining us for Christmas dinner.  She was always a very independent lady.  I'm pleased to say she seems to have settled in fairly well and is warm, clean, fed and well cared for where she is

Santa really spoiled me this year and although I have felt too poorly to play with any of it as yet I have been bought lots of wonderful crafty bits to create with in the new year.and that's all I am showing you today.

As you can see I've had wools and a knitting book, fabrics, cards, a blank canvas paints buttons, glitters and embellishments.  So it looks like there will be all sorts of crafting going on soon  :-)  All I need now is good health and the energy and inspiration to feel like playing.  I'm keeping all crossed that I shift this bug very soon.

Now my crafty buddies I would like to say thanks for all your get well wishes.  I'm doing all I can to get better quickly......I guess it just takes time  :-(   Please pop over to Julia's blog and show us what Santa brought you and what you have been up to over the last week.

I would also like to wish each and every one of you an exciting and healthy New Year and hope we all have lots more wonderful WOYWW to enjoy together.....Thanks Julia for all you do xxxx

'Tis the day before Christmas....

Just a bit of fun that was going round my head in the wakeful hours in the night.  I really do hope you all stay well and happy over the festive time and look forward to catching up with all my blogging friends after Christmas.  Love and hugs to you all. xxxx

'Tis the day before Christmas, been up half the night,

The cough ain't no better and I'm feeling quite s***e.

I've kept away from the others but share all that's mine,

The other half's got it, it's like flu...maybe swine?

The house looks quite pretty, lights flash off and on,

They're lit up like Blackpool but the high spirit's gone.

The conservatory looks just like Santa's own grotto,

Make the best of it all is usually my motto.

Another day's rest is what we need I am sure,

If you've got any tips or a really good cure.

Please share them with us and help us feel better,

But don't come a calling just send in a letter.

When Santa comes later there's one thing that I ask,

If he's coming to deliver then please wear a mask.

If he doesn't take precautions then of course he may find,

That he takes a lot more with him than he ever leaves behind.

Cough! cough! splutter! splutter!

WOYWW....

Good morning blogging friends.

It's the last WOYWW before the big day and it's that day of the week when we all have a good snoop round lots of crafting spaces.  If you are here by chance and don't know what I mean then please pop over to Julia's blog and join in the fun.

I've been sitting in the warm knitting [no energy for much else  :-( ].  My cold is, alas, no better so I'm having forced rest at a time when I planned to be busy baking etc.  What the heck....I'm sure Christmas will still come without baking being done  :-)

I have played with the teddy knitting pattern and have made the smallest little knitted bear I've ever seen.  It's so cute and sits in the palm of a hand.

 As you will have seen in a previous post I have also been knitting pixie hats for an advent calendar.

 These are the five you saw earlier in the week....now finished.

 And these are the next five in the bunch.  I'm having such fun choosing wools and designing each little hat.  Each one is different and you all know that is just what I love doing.  :-)  Do you have a favourite?  I love them all  :-)

My birds have been sooooo hungry with all this snow around.

This is the crab apple tree I can see from my kitchen window and this morning I counted 28 birds waiting in it  They sit there and watch me fill a bowl with fruit, seeds and any scraps I can find every morning and are down to eat it all as soon as I put it out for them.

For those who have asked how Fred my pheasant is here he is this morning tucking into the food I have put out for him.  He is looking really fat and well fed  :-)

Finally I would like to say a huge thank you to you all for the support and wonderful comments you all leave me and  I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and hope 2011 brings you everything you wish for yourselves.  Stay well, warm and cosy and I will be back to check up on you all as and when I am able.

Ive just added a link to JoZart's blog in my side bar.  She is offering a Christmas gift draw so please pop over and join in with a chance to win.

Fun in the snow....

No, alas not me  :-(  

I'm full up with a cold.  Sore throat. Cough.  Earache.  Running temperatures......you know,  all we need leading up to Christmas  :-(  Just my luck eh?

But I will say that isn't stopping everyone else's fun in the snow.  Our eldest has broken up from school [as a teacher not a pupil though  :-)].  Her and her fiance have been out creating in the garden.

They have even had people at their door asking to take pics of her too  :-)

Wispa just loves the snow but now much snow can one little dog carry round on their nose and feet?.....She has now found a warm spot by the radiator to thaw out  :-)

I really do hope you are all well enough to enjoy the snow too and don't find it too much of a problem.

Little hats now.....

I was reading through all my favourite blogs and Jo from jozartdesigns had blogged about some really gorgeous little pixie hats she has made last year as advent calendars for her family.  

She knew I would be up for the challenge and would really love the idea so I have been playing with some oddments of wool and this is what I have come up with so far.

It's so much fun.  I am changing colours and am making up designs as I go along so it's a really fun challenge.....and I'm not short of oddments of wool as you can imagine  :-)  They all need sewing up and trimming with bells and bobbles but aren't they cute?  Of course it's too late for advent calendars for this year but there will be other years....I hope  :-)

Not something I do often...

After I'd posted little rabbit to Karen yesterday  I found myself with my knitting needles in my hands and just had to make another to match.  She is so cute but I think I will have to hide her on our tree before a little someone sees it and claims it for her own  :-) They knit up really quickly but knitting the limbs is a little fiddly because they are knit in the round on double ended needles and with only 4 stitches.  I like the way they take on their own character....the one ear on this one didn't want to stand up like the other one.

Not one but two lucky winners.....

There were so many names in my Christmas gift draw that I decided to make another little treasure to give away and draw two names out.

 There are all 44 names in the box....and yes that does include my daughter's because although I have already knitted her one of her own she does take the time out to follow my blog :-)

The first name drawn out wins the little teddy.......

.....and the winner is.........

Congratulations Susan.  Can you please let me have your address and I will get her ready for her journey to Oxfordshire.

Now as you know I never like to knit two the same so the other little gift is.....

....a little Christmas rabbit.  She is made using the same pattern so is only a little bigger than the little bears simply cos she has bigger ears  :-)  

The second name drawn out is........

So glad you added your name to be a follower Karen.  Congratulations.  Please email me your postal details and I will get her ready to travel to her new home in Cornwall.

I would like to say a huge thank you to all my other followers [I wish I could have knit you all one] and would like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and an even better New Year.

WOYWW...

Good morning blogging friends.

Another busy week has passed and we are back to the best day of the week when we all have a good snoop round lots of crafting spaces.  If you are here by chance and don't know what I mean then please pop over to Julia's blog and join in the fun.

This has been another week of family, sewing and crafting for me.  If you check out the posts below you will see I have now finished the fairy mice and little bears have now taken over my crafting time.  I made the first while teaching my son to knit and since then they have just multiplied.  They are just so cute that I can't stop knitting them.  I rarely make two of anything the same so each one is different and has their own little character.  They are only about 3" tall  :-)

This is the latest snap of the ones I've knitted and as you can see the one I am giving away as a Christmas gift to one of my followers [see post below] has lined up with the others.  I have knitted one each for my two little Granddaughters and my eldest daughter put her order in for one so I've knitted her one too...she is full up with the flu at the mo so I hope the little bear will help her get better very soon.

I still had to knit a Jesus for the knitivity so last night my knitting needles got clicking. 

Can you tell what it is yet?

It's not everyone that gets to knit pants for baby Jesus.

Here he is in his swaddling clothes sucking his thumb....how cute is that?
At least now I have the three main characters for my knitivity....the rest will come as I find the time.

The decorations are all up and I've posted most of my Christmas cards so it's just a little more present buying and then it's onto the baking and I will be all ready for family celebrations.  I will be taking some time off between Christmas and the New Year so I can relax and enjoy the festivities.  

Now before you leave please check out the post below, become a follower and leave me a comment so your name can be included in the Christmas Gift Draw. 

A tiny Christmas Gift from me to you...

 

As promised this is a little Christmas gift from me to one of my followers.  All you have to do is leave me a message here so I know you would like to be in with a chance to win and I will draw out a name.  If you're not already a follower I am happy for you to become one to be in with a chance to win this cute little bear.  I will be drawing a name out on Thursday 16th so your little bear can be on her way to you very soon.  Good luck to one and all.

My new arrival and my knitty updates...

Thought I'd best introduce you to my new arrival.  I won a tree chameleon on Donna's blog last week and as you can see he has made himself comfy on our Christmas tree.  Thanks Donna.

I also told you I would update you on the Christmas Fairy Mice I was knitting for my little Granddaughters.

They are now finished and here you can see them posing for you hanging on our Christmas tree.  The little girls came down here Saturday to dress Nanny Annie's tree and 2 year old little P was really wide eyed at each and every little treasure she handed to her Mummy to put on the tree.....happy memories.  I'm sure she will love these little mice.....I do  :-)

On Friday my baby [now 23 years old!] had to have minor surgery and came here afterwards to spend some quality time with his Mum [and to be fussed over and spoiled a bit of course]   :-)  We have always enjoyed special times together and when he saw that I had been knitting he asked me to teach him to knit so he could make a little teddy to give to his girlfriend to hang on their tree.  We spent most of the day laughing, dropping stitches and learning new skills  :-)

Here's the proof  :-)  I thought I'd best not put a photo on of his face cos I'm not sure he would want his mates to see  :-)

Here you can see the results of our fun.  The one on the right is the one he knit and mine is the one on the left.  He was soooo proud of it and his girlfriend G was really thrilled with it too.  I have put a pin by the side to let you see just how small and cute the little bears are.  They are made using a free pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits....she makes some really stunning things too.

I plan to knit one as a Christmas gift for one of my blogging friends so watch this space if you want to be in with the chance to win one  :-)  I know a lot of you don't knit and thought you just might like to have one of your own.

Knitivity update...

Here we have the happy couple.  You will be pleased to see I have now dressed Joseph [as I am sure he is too].  Now all I need is a baby [pretty important], a few animals, an angel, some shepherds and 3 kings!  It will be finished by Christmas....but maybe not this one  :-)

WOYWW....

Another week has flown past and Christmas will be upon us before we know it.  As you can guess I am still knitting when my sewing allows a free minute.  I have had a busy week this week with customers after the much quieter week I had last week.  The snow definitely kept many from venturing out and although it hasn't all gone yet it has remained very very cold here so very icy under foot still.  This week I have had 4-5 more new customers already so I guess their need had increased enough to make them venture out carefully.

On my desk today you can see a nearly finished Joseph for the Knitivity and two more little knitting projects I've been busy with.  Mary now has a halo and I've stitched her button on the front of her dress as on the pattern.  Joseph is still looking a bit phallic but once he has a beard and I've dressed him he will look better.  

The other two little knitting projects will look like this when finished.  They are from a really cute free pattern that Twiglet sent me the link to and of course I just had to knit two for my two little Granddaughters.  I just need a bit of lurex thread now to knit the wings and stars so hopefully by next week you will be able to see the finished mice.

This is the view from the window where I sit and sew.  A cock pheasant has taken to visiting my bird feeder most mornings this week.  I have named him Fred and have to admit I do throw out some bird feed on the floor for him to eat.  I live right in the middle of a village so really hope he stays safe and well off the road.

I must get moving now because I have a rail full of sewing and I have two little visitors coming to play with Nanny Annie today too....and you all know I wont be getting much sewing done while they are here  :-) 

Please pop over to our leader Julia's blog to link up with all the other WOYWWers who expose themselves on a weekly basis.  Have a great week.  Keep warm and thank you for popping in to say hello.

A Mary Christmas.....or is it???

As most of you will know I won the Knitivity book from Carmen's draw and you will all know that I have been desperate to get going on making the characters.  

Well!  I started yesterday with Mary....well I thought that was what I was knitting!!!

I thought you might like a few snaps of the stages of knitting one of these characters so you will understand what I mean :-)

These are all the body pieces for the characters.  I sent this pic via text to Twiglet and she said it looked like I was knitting a parsnip!  That is until I stitched them together.........

Hmmmm.  Now Carmen what exactly have you got me knitting?  All I can say is I've never seen one with little feet before.  :-)

Sorry the pic was a little dark but I'm sure you can see that my phallic symbol now has a face and arms....and yes I have checked the pattern and have knitted just as instructed.  Now I have to knit it a dress!  :-)

I said a dress....  Not wings!  OK I will continue knitting......

There....that's better.  I'm sure she will look better in the stable.  Now all I have to do is think of a title for this blog ....believe me I have had many suggestions.   :-)

Aw bless them...

I've seen so many pictures of snow on other blogs and am really pleased to work from home and do not have to go out into it.  Of course this doesn't apply to my little dogs....they love it and run about like idiots in it.  The old lady of the 3 tends to ask to come in before the others and will then stand at the patio door watching the other two play. 

This is how they came in this morning....

.....How can so much snow attach itself to the feet of such little dogs?  :-)  They are now thawing out nicely and leaving puddles everywhere!

WOYWW...

Good morning blogging friends.

Another week has passed and we are back to the best day of the week when we all have a good snoop round lots of crafting spaces.  If you are here by chance and don't know what I mean then please pop over to Julia's blog and join in the fun.

As you can see from this week's posts it has been yet another busy week for me.  The weeks leading up to Saturday's Craft Fair have been spent making and putting everything ready and into boxes.   Saturday morning came with lots of snow on the ground but we still made the effort and made our way up to Montgomery.  I'm certain the weather kept many from venturing out but we still had a fun time so all the effort was well worth it.

Funday Monday for Twiglet and I was spent taking pictures and filling the shelves on the blog shop with all the latest goodies so spare a little time to pop over and check out all the Christmas gift ideas.  If this snow hangs around a while it may be one way of shopping without venturing out into it and you will be sure to buy something that noone else has bought cos most of the items we make are one offs.

Today  I have lots of new things I want to have a go at and as long as not too many of my customers are sufficiently in need of their sewing being done urgently then I will manage a little 'me' time to play.  I have one job to do before I start though and I guess this is a sign of the weather.

It's a waterproof warm waistcoat that needs a new zip.  Not one of my fav jobs cos they are rarely easy to get right first time.

Yesterday I received two gorgeous new patterns from a fab American site called Oh Sew Dollin.  If you are a dolly maker the site is well worth a visit.  When time allows I will be making some of these....pretty excited at the thought.

I thought I would also show you my latest creation.  I have just finished putting him together and think he's rather cute.







Right, girls, it's time for me to get going.  Thanks for dropping in and for leaving your lovely comments.  I will do my best to get round as many of you as I can over the next few days.  Hope you all stay warm and cosy til next week and have lots of fun times.